Tropical Fish Exhibition

At the last LFKS we discussed the possibility of havng a show on the Northside in the new year.There are several reasons why we emphasise the Northside part which are explained here:

All of these LFS are on the Northside, Kinsealy,Petstop Blanchardstown,Aquarium Solutions (Ashbourne),Coolock Petshop,Swords Petshop,Wackers. These shops have alot of local regular customers all living in the surrounding areas.A 20 mile radius (exception of Aquatic Solutions) takes in all of these shops and a huge amount of fishkeepers.We are proposing to organise a show centralised to this area.The last show was a huge success and we want to build on it,together.

The only issue with the last show was the location.Tallaght is too far out of the way for alot of people and very inaccessable by car.Alot of locals came and were great,thats not in question!Also the venue was great and the staff too.We dont think Tallaght has as many fishkeepers as North Dublin,we may be wrong?

This post is not here to generate talk about the last show,it is to generate discussion about the next show.I feel that this is a fair issue to bring up and so am asking for suggestions for venues around the North Dublin area.

Just a quick note to people about the mission of the LFKS;

We set up our club to cater for the beginner fishkeeper, obviously welcoming other levels of fishkeeper at the same time.We approached people and invited them to our meetings,which are very informal and friendly.We set our sights on the North Dublin,Meath,Drogheda and Dundalk areas as most if not all newcomers to fishkeeping in those areas knew nothing of the ITFS and its good work.We saw a gap in the market and decided to cater for these people,which we have done with success.

To clarify a few things;

We are a sister club of the ITFS and most LFKS members are also ITFS members. With thanks to both clubs we have alot of sponsorship and discount deals in place which benefit alot of fishkeepers and forum members.

Thank you.

Chris Murphy
Leinster Fishkeeping Society

Would people here be interested in Benching(showing) fish.

I'll be a starter for that,havn't worked out how many yet.Possibly a dozen or so at this stage.

Yep.
Some lovely peacocks and impressive cats.

Ahh, fish show, I was wondering about \"exhibition\" in the original post. Sounds interesting.

The reason for \"Tropical Fish Exhibition\" is that a name like Irish Open Fish Show confused alot of potential visitors to the last show and they didnt know what to expect.With a title such as above a lot of people will arrive and get what they visualized, a fine display of Tropical Fish (as long as the turnout is as good as the last show)!

I reckon there are 2 types of people we need to attract;

Potential Displayers or Fish/Serious Fishkeepers

and

Regular curious John/Joan Does/Beginners/Interested Fishkeepers

Any feedback is hugely welcomed at this point,especially from the SAS,we would love to achieve blanket involvement.

Hi Chris,

Though the other 2 SAS committee members are momentarily unavailable, I can say that the SAS will support such an event and endeavour to help within its capabilities.

If you require any particular input, please don't hesitate to contact any of us.

Wishing you the very best for this great initiative,

Kindest regards,

Valerie
Southern Aquarists Society - Treasurer

It looks like it is starting to snowball.

CHRIS SAYS)The reason for \"Tropical Fish Exhibition\" is that a name like Irish Open Fish Show confused alot of potential visitors to the last show and they didnt know what to expect.With a title such as above a lot of people will arrive and get what they visualized, a fine display of Tropical Fish (as long as the turnout is as good as the last show)!

HI chris my opinion is that you should call it a fish show as you are then in a position for shops to sponsor and for people to come away with something. I mean in an exibition you only come to look at fish in a show you compete with others for a prize and for the recogonition for winning or coming somewhere in your hobby.

The idea of having a show on the northside is great.I will say that last years show was a credit to the hard work put in by members of the itfs,I can only say that these people are a credit to one of the best supported shows i was ever at.. Many years ago before all the sponsorship the then ndas the north dublin aquarist society held a show in Ballymun and this was one of the best. We had people from all over Ireland showing fish and a few from tne north.

As you are aware i store the ITFS show tanks and equipment in Ballymun and if the ITFS give permission for use of these tanks i will help in any way to get a show for the northside up and running.

In my opinion with the amount of shops opening and the shops getting more professional and the amount of people keeping fish in Dublin it may be possible to have a show on north side and southside of Dublin next year.
Chris as there is alot of work and preperation the first thing is to get permission for use of the equipment first then go from there.

I am a member of both clubs and it is only a good thing to have fishkeeping supported and advertised in a way to get more people into both clubs

regards
gerard evans
www.waterworldaquariums.com

Just to calrify a few things I failed to make clear;

The Show is not biased in any way to Northside shops,as I myself use all of the shops in and around greater Dublin,just like most fishkeepers do.All shops will be invited to join in.

We have come up with a few interesting ideas one being a LFS competition,where each shop displays a tank design of their choice and the public will vote for their favourite tank.We would also like to have a club based competition where each club displays a tank and the public vote.

The reason \"Exhibition\" was used is to get punters to the venue on the day,any one displaying fish will be fuly aware as we have an advertising campaign set out.We aim to have a flyer with show details handed to each person buying fish in LFS (as long as shops agree),as well as the usual methods like posters etc. which will clarify things.Maybe \"Tropical Fish Exhibition and Show\", or does that not sound right?

At the end of the day this is a huge oppertunity for LFS to actually interface with and impress their future customers so it is as important to them to get the people to the show as it is to us.The few shops we have spoken to are delighted to be involved and are extremely supportive so hopefull we can get them all involved.

How about \"The Leinster Fish keeping Societies Open Fish Show\".

What about if the all shop were ask and lets say 5 or 6 actually go through with this crazy idea:

LFS competion to put on the best 3 foot show tank, can be african south amercian or planted or both!! and the best LFS wins a prize, although the good press they will get will be worth more than any prize.

Also lets change the rules as every one seems to be cheating with the planted tank catorgry, any planted tank that does not have real fish in it is banned, but can be re appllied into the plasma TV wall mounted aquarium as they dont have no real fish in them either.

www.plasmawindow.com/aquariumdvd.html?gc...H6w48CFSheEgodEzz4ZA

I can't believe that we are at stage again where a club is called biased towards certain shops. I hope we are not going down that infantile route again. Whoever shows the initiative, drive and capability to get a show off the ground should be applauded by all. Whatever it is called is up to the organizers. We need to find ways to attract more people to the hobby and any effort should be supported by all parties. It's not like that a serious enthusiast will be stopped by a trip across town. A lot of us drive across the country to get a certain fish and some of us take a trip abroad to get what they want if it is not available in Ireland. Chris, if you want a hand, let me know. You can mail posters down to me and I'll get my LFSs to stick them up when the time comes.

Is it possible to bench marine fish if so HOW ?

WOW!



www.petsforum.com/cis-fishnet/FTFFA.htm#Anchor-OVERALL-11306

What do you think of that fish show:woohoo:

Fair play to all involved:)
Any show is a huge undertaking and if I can lend a hand I would be more than willing. Artwork, flyer/poster design or getting stuff 'print ready' are the best skills I can offer if you find a need for them. (May be able to get some discount on good quality printing, can not promise though).
Have done some stand layout & design for many of the RDS shows if that is of any help.
Or if you just need someone to 'mop up the spils' on the day I can turn my hand to domestics:dry:
Good luck, C